Do Kittens Really Need Kitten Food – Feeding Tips

Being a loving cat mom, I try to provide my kitten with the best food with all the required nutrients. There are many options for kitten food, and it often leaves me thinking: Do Kittens Really Need Kitten Food?  

Kittens do need kitten food. Kitten food satisfies the nutritional requirements that your kitten needs. Feeding kitten adult cat food may cause dietary problems and should be avoided.

So let’s dive right in to know how long should kittens eat kitten food, can kittens eat adult feline food, and other such related frequently asked questions.

How Long Should Kittens Eat Kitten Food

Kittens reach their maturity when they are 12 months old. Before that age, your kitten should eat the kitten food only. After your kitten turns one year old, gradually switch your kitten’s food to adult cat’s food. 

Large cats like the Maine Coon cats take more time to mature. They tend to mature from 18 to 24 months of age. They weigh 25 pounds as opposed to an average cat whose weight is 10 pounds. Therefore, they need to eat kitten food for a bit longer.

Can Kittens Eat Adult Cat Food

It is not advised for a kitten to eat adult pet cat food until it becomes mature. It is not recommended to feed any food when it is a newborn kitten. 

A newborn kitten needs to have its mother’s milk until its dietary needs change. The newborn kittens are ready to eat kitten food after one month of age. 

If you have adopted a newborn kitten, make sure that you get kitten milk formula for your pet. Adult pet cat food is not an option for your little kitten.

The nutrients required by a small kitten are very different from the nutritional requirements of a fully grown adult cat. Kittens require more protein to build their energy. 

Food designed for adult cats does not have the appropriate amount of proteins, so it is not helpful to feed your kitten adult food.

When there are various kitten formulas available in the market, there is no need to buy adult pet cat food for your little kitten. It would help if you got good quality food to support your cat’s rapid growth.

When Can Kittens Eat Adult Food

Kittens can eat adult food when their dietary needs change to enhance their growth after one year. After one year, a kitten is old enough to eat balanced adult food. Adult feline food is tailor-made to suit the energy requirements of an adult cat who likes to play outdoors.  

You need to transition your kitten from kitten food to adult food gradually. You need to provide your kitten at least a week to adjust to the new food. This is to avoid any digestive upset to your cat’s stomach. 

On the very first day of transition, replace 1/6th of the kitten food with adult food. Increase the quantity of adult food slowly over seven days until the kitten is ready to eat an entire bowl of adult food. You can try giving other brands cat food if your kitten does not like what you are giving it now.

Should Kittens Eat Wet Or Dry Food

Even though kittens are not advised to eat adult pet food until they are a year old, they can eat dry or wet kibble. It is preferable to give wet food to help your kitten swallow it easily. 

When the kitten is 3 to 4 weeks old, it can eat wet kibble. If you want to serve your kitten dry kibble, then make sure that you moisten it before you place it in your pet’s bowl. Completely dry kibble can be challenging for a kitten to swallow. 

However, if you have a newborn kitten, it is advisable to feed your pet kitten milk formula if its mother’s milk is not available to it. 

Have a look at the advantages of feeding dry food and wet food to your pet kitten.

Dry Food

● Dry food items tend to have a longer shelf life as compared to wet food that goes bad shortly after opening it

● Dry food-based diets aid in keeping your kitten’s mouth healthy since it will have to chew the dry food more, which will remove any plaque from its teeth

● Dry kibble pieces are easy for kittens to eat and gulp down

Wet Food

● The smell of wet food is stronger, and kittens find that appealing

● Wet food is softer and easy to chew than dry food

● Even though dry food has a longer shelf life, wet food comes in small sachets that are one-time use so that your kitten gets fresh food every time

● Consuming wet food will decrease the water intake of your cat, so make sure that you keep offering water to your pet kitten frequently

What Do You Do If Your Kitten Won’t Eat Kitten Food

Cats are curious creatures who are open to trying different food items. It might like the food you gave it one day and refuse to eat it the next day. If your kitten won’t eat kitten food, it means that there’s something wrong with your kitten’s feeding behavior. 

It might be that your kitten does not like the kitten food because you changed it to a new brand. Cats don’t respond well to change. You can try some of these tricks to make your cat eat its food. 

Change Their Bowl’s Location

Try to change the location of your cat’s bowl. Your cat might be scared of something in the original location, or it just does not like that corner anymore. You might have to try placing the bowl in different places until your cat is ready to eat again. Your cat needs to enjoy eating its meal.

You can try placing the bowl in a corner that has a view of your entire house or that overlooks a window so that your cat has some entertainment while eating. If your cat enjoys its meals, it will happily eat anything you put in front of your cat.

Get A Different Type Of Bowl

There are a lot of different types of bowls available in the market. Your cat may find it tiresome to eat out of a deep bowl. You can try getting your cat a large bowl with a shallow depth, making it easy for your kitten to eat in.

You should get a stainless steel bowl if possible because it is easy to clean and lasts longer. Avoid buying plastic bowls as they give off a smell and can break easily. 

Engage Their Natural Hunting Instinct

Don’t use a bowl to feed your cat. You can try hiding the kibble around your house and let your kitten hunt for it. Cats are natural hunters who like to earn their meal by hunting it. 

You can also make food puzzles for your cat, which will solve the problem of your kitten not eating the kitten food and keep it from becoming lazy.

Things To Consider

Below are some considerations when it comes to feeding your cat kitten food.

Should You Cook For Your Kitten Instead Of Buying Kitten Food

You can cook for your kitten, but it is better to buy kitten food because it has all the nutrients that your kitty needs. Additionally, cooking food for your cat takes more time, and you can’t use the ingredients you use to cook your food.

However, if you wish to cook for your kitten, talk to your vet to ensure that you are doing it right. 

Why Do Kittens Like Their Food One Day and Then Won’t Eat It the Next

Cats in the wild eat 10 to 20 meals in a day and like to try new foods. They hunt small creatures who don’t fulfill their hunger, and they need to hunt often. If your kitten is picky about what to eat, its natural feeding behavior is not being satisfied.

You can try giving your kitten different types of kibble and then find the one that your kitten is happy to eat more often.

What Happens When Kittens Don’t Eat Kitten Food

When kittens don’t eat kitten food, they don’t meet their nutritional requirements, which may result in malnourishment of your kitten with stunted growth. A kitten requires 30-35% protein daily, which is not present in adult food.

The proper amount of nutrition forms the basis of your kitten’s health and growth into a fully nourished cat. You must give the right kitten food to your pet for its good health.